Inkwell



Nov. 21, 1944; R. E. STROH 2,363,359

I INK WELL Filed Feb. :5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

NOV; 21, 1944. STRQH 2,363,369

INK WELL Filed Feb. 3, 1944 2 Sheets-Shget 2 flrjcaa. 4 E 1 L/ A Z 7 I )V z I "32" 11 3 IV 22 j J? I 26" INVENTOR: flqyEagawSfi-ab,

7 BY Wm ATTORNEYS.

I p: Pennsylvania Roy Eugene StrohQ- BrookIineQBaQ-Qassignorjto The 5 Turner and Harrison Steel Pen Manufacturing tl flomp'any, Philadelphia, 2a., a corporation/of f- Application'February s,- 1944,'-'Serial No. 520,860

sclai e clnizo-ss'y v "This invention relates to ink -wells, andhas refenence more particularly to ink wells of the type v gha vtng' small :pen aiip reservoirs which are replemshableas the ink supply'in them isused un -from "larger storage reservoirs within the s m I f 1- a 4 'Qchie! aim of my invention is to provide an inkwelloi' the kind referred to which can "be economically produced in quantity from relatively :iinexpensive materials; which is devoid of'm'ovable-parts, small-pr restricted passagesQand/or rough surfaces inthecrevices in. which ink would be likely to collect and dry; and which is resistive toea'syupsetting, 5 J In connection with an-ink well having'the fore- -goingiattributes, I i-urtheraim to make improved provisions which will insureaga-inst ink spillage i'ncident toreplenishment of the supply in the Shipping reservoir from the storage reservoir, as

well as improved incorporated gauge provisions where'by the amount of ink in'the storage can be readily and quickly ascertained at any time without necessitating the aid of any auxiliary -m'easuring'means v I I .r

Other objects and attendant advantageswill appear from the following' det'a'iled description the attached drawings; wherein 25. V V t fshortfoffthe'end wall tof'theupper's'ection l0 of the body, with resultant provision of an ap- "proach channel 2 9 to saji'd-dip reservoir'from the Fig.1 is aperspective 'viewof'an ink well coni veniently (embodying my invention.

' i. Fig. 2 isa'vertical longitudinal sectional i view of the welltaken as indicated by'the angled ar- 'mws:II-I1in Fig; 3; which is ahorizontal s'ectionof the welltak'e'n as indicated by the angled firmwsIIL-III Fig i4 is a transverse sectional view of the well taken as indlcated b y'the-angled arrows IV-Q-IV .inFig'si2.andl3.'

' is a viewjcorresponding'to-Figl '2 showi g thewwell swung up on edge for the purpo'seof gauging the ink contents;-and v v Fig/fi is. likewise a v;iew corresponding to Fig. :2

showing how the well is tipped to en'able'replenv ishing'of the supply'inthe dip reservoir 23 from 'timetotime from the main reservoir. I As herein exemplified, the body of my 'improvedinkwell is bf relatively flat elongate oblong, configuration and formed in two sections which are ''c'omprehensively designated respectivelvby the numeralsl u and II: I

' 'l'l'ieupper section I 0 provides a top wall l2 whichis arched Lbcth longitudinally and transversely of the body,- I from and rear side: walls I 3, *l4,=and end walls 1 5,16, said side and end walls merging with the top wall through relatively sharp fillet-curvatures as at". (lentrally ofthe length er the wenyrne upper section in is formed somewhat "rearward of the -longitudinal center of the well withva boss I8whereo'f the axis' is downwardly inelinedsl'ightly' to' the vertical toward ."the rear wall ll, saidlo'ess havingan opening T9 which is tapered in -part for reception and retain'inent of 'a pen holder such as partlyindicated 'a lip around the top or "the opening lil and proj'ects'to a consideralal'e extent downward "from the to wall -"l2, of the" section-m toserve as a haiiie. At the irontgthe'pendeniz portion of the purpose'presen'tly explained. I

ishoulderedreoess nan the bottom edge of the upper section It. QBelow the pen receivingcpen- [ing the iowerseetimi u ofthe 'body provides a 20 small auxiliary or pen dip reservoir 23 whichis defined byendwalls 2-5 and. 26 of whichthe 'formerf' issomewhatlower inheigh t than the 'iatt'e'nand by front sand rear side walls '21 and 2 8 which extend' from the end wall '26 to a point well beyond the wall '2 Sand-terminate somewhat main portion 30 of the interior of the 'well which 30 v The 'wal1s1 2'5-48'bf'the dip reservoir 23 'and'the' constitutes a storage reservoir for the ink supply.

' channel it are all preferably integrally formed with thebcttom section 2| I the end'wall Z'BTeaching very close to the "top wall 12 of the upper section 1-0; As' shown in Figs} and 4 all por- "tionsof the surface of the lower section l'l slope toward thebottom of the channel "29 which rises thlollg'h shape '31 to the u-pper edgeofthewall 25. It'wilI- be particularly "notedthat the baffle l8 around the pen receiving opening lil extends down into the dip-reservoir to a level well below the 'top' edge of "the high 'en'd'wall '26. vIn

' practice 'Ipr efer to mold-the upper-section ll] of the well body from opaque plastic material, and

the lower section I fromtransparent plastic material, to the top surface of which I attach a transversely arched strip 32of light-colored material longitudinally of the-well rightward of the dip reservoir '23. Thus upon tilting the well on edge asshown in Fig. Sthestrip 32, icy-contrast with the ink, will serveas aga'uge to show the ink level in the 'mainor storage reservoir portion{ 3 0.; If desired, the strip 32' maybe gradu ate jd' as indicated at 33 inFigsS and 5, 4 As an, alternativel may construct the lower section [I the opening H) to the level indicated by the dotand-dash line L in Fig.2, i. e., about even with the top edge of the wall 25 of the dip reservoir 23, the airfrom the interior being incidentally allowed to'escape through a vent aperture provided at 35 (Figs. 1 and 4) immediately adja-'' cent said opening behind the baffle 18 for that purpose. The vent aperture 35 is of a small diameter, as shown, so as to be negligible from the standpoint of allowing evaporation of the ink to take place. As the ink in the dip reser-- voir '23 recedes through use of the pen P, it may be replenished by tipping the well slightly after the manner shown in Fig. 6, with the result that ink trapped in the channel 29 from the main reservoir 30 will flow over the inclined surface 3| and over the low dam wall into said dip reservoir, the opposite'high end and high side walls 26 and 21, 28 of the latter acting as barriers to insure its retainment. tipped beyond an angle greater than that of the slope 3|, the excess delivered from the channel 29 will pass over the top of the high wall 26 of the dip reservoir 23 and return to the main or storage reservoir 30. During subsequent levelling of the well any ink in excess of the dip reservoir-will flow over the top edge of the low wall 25 of the dip well 23 into the channel 29 and likewise find its way back into the main or storage reservoir 30. In the event that the well is erroneously tipped in the opposite direction, it is .evident that the baflle [8 will act as a deflector to insure against spillage of ink through the pen opening is. It willbe further evident that the baflie l8 will also serve to preclude spillage in the event that the well is angularly tilted laterally in either direction. Due to sloping of all portions of the surface of the well bottom toward the channel 29 substantially all the ink in the main or storage reservoir 30 will be avail-.

able-for replenishing the supply in the dip reservoir 23 before the well need be refilled. The amount of stored ink can of course be ascertained at any time by standing the well on edge as shown in Fig. 5 when its level can be seen through the trahsparent bottom II by contrast with the light-colored gauge strip 32; Due to being shallow and flat, my improved ink well is obviously immune against easy upsetting.

The well may be cleaned when necessary by introducing water through the pen receiving opening l9, which after having accomplished the cleaning can be drainedby laterally tipping the wellabout its front bottom corner edge, i. e., the edge at the left of Fig. 4, and finally completely inverting it. As this is done, th water will first be collected in the forward part of the well and finally as the well is turned upside-down, will be diverted by the baiile 18 to pass out through the pen opening IS without attendant discharge of any of the water through the vent aperture.

If the well is.

ill)

I do not of course consider myself limited to the precise proportions or structural details of the well as herein shown, by, way of example,

high end wall substantially at the height of the latter past the low end wall to a point adjacent one end wall of the body to form an approach channel to said dip reservoir.

2. An ink well having a hollow body whereof. the interior is subdivided to afford a main or storage reservoir for the ink, and a smaller dip reservoir below a penreceiving opening in the top wall of the body, defined by high and low end walls and side-wallsupstanding from the well bottom, said side walls extending from the high end wall substantially at the height of the latter past the low end wall to a point adjacent one nd wall of the body to form an approach channel to said dip reservoir; and said channel having a bottom with a portion which slopes upward to the top edge of the low wall of the dip reservoir.

3. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein the bottom of the approach channel extends to a level below that of the main or storage reser-- voir.

4. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein all portions of the bottom of the main or storage reservoir in the body slope toward the bottom of the approach channel.

5. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein the axis of the pen-receiving opening is inclined slightly to the vertical toward the rear side wall of the well body, and wherein a bafile around the rear of said opening reaches down from the top wall of the body into the dip reservoir to a level somewhat below the top of the front side wall Of said dip reservoir.

6. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein the axis of the pen-receiving opening is inclined slightly to the vertical toward the rear side wall of the well body, wherein a bafile around the rear of said opening reaches down'from the top wall of the body into' the dip reservoir to a level somewhat below the top of the front side wall of said dip reservoir; and wherein a vent aperture in the top wall of the body behind the baffie serves to permit air displacement during filling of the well through said opening.

'7. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein thetop and side walls of the body are substantially opaque, and the bottom has a transparent portion, and wherein a strip of light-colored material fixed within the main or storage reservoir to the upper surface of the transparent portion of the bottom, serves, by contrast with the ink, as a level gauge when the well is turned up on edge.

8. An ink well according to claim 2, wherein the body is formed in two sections, one from opaque plastic material and providing the top and side walls of said body, and the other is formed at least in part from transparent plastic material and providing the bottom and the dip reservoir with its approach channel; wherein after assembling, the two sections are permanently united fluid-tight along the regions of mutual contact; and wherein a strip of lightcolored opaque material fixed within the main or "storage reservoir at the transparent portion of the bottom serves, by contrast with the ink, as a level gauge when the well is turned up on edge.

9. An ink well according to claim 2,, wherein the body is of elongate shallow configurationy wherein the pen-receiving opening is located centrally of the length of the body somewhat to the rear of its longitudinal median; and wherein the dip reservoir is positioned to correspond with the pen-receiving opening with its approach channel extending in the direction of the length of said body.

. ROY EUGENE STROH. 

